Hofstra Basketball Player Facing Marijuana Charges

A Hofstra University basketball player was arrested in Brooklyn Friday morning on marijuana charges, according to the Kings County District Attorney office.

The 23-year-old athlete, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who transferred from UConn where he helped the Huskies win the 2010-2011 National Championship, was driving when he was stopped by police because it appeared like he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office said.

Police allegedly found six “marijuana cigars” in the car’s cup holder and ashtray, the spokesman said.

Coombs-McDaniel was charged with criminal possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of marijuana and driving without a license, the spokesman said.

Coombs-McDaniel played two seasons at UConn before transferring to Hofstra, according to his bio on the university’s website. NCAA transfer regulations forced him to sit out the 2011-2012 season.

The Massachusetts-native suffered through knee issues before the 2012-2013 season and didn’t appear in any games for Hofstra.

Rashed Mian has been covering local news for the Long Island Press since 2011. He graduated from Hofstra University in 2010 where he studied print journalism. Rashed, the staff's multimedia reporter, covers daily news for the web, shoots/edits feature videos and writes about civil liberties. He loves Afghan food and sports. Rashed is also a caffeine freak. Email: rmian@longislandpress.com. Twitter: rashedmian